Glass elected to Stuart Commission seat despite finishing second in money race

STUART — Final financial records for Stuart's two Group IV City Commission candidates race released Thursday show Kelli Glass won her November bid for the commission seat despite raising 28 percent less in campaign dollars than opponent Frank Mezzapelle.

Candidates are required to file financial reports four times throughout their run, with a final report of their closed-out campaign accounts due by Feb. 2, said Stuart City Clerk Cherie White.

Mezzapelle raised and spent $6,662 to Glass' total income and expenditures of $4,812.88, the final disclosures show.

Before closing his campaign account in November, records show Mezzapelle made a final $650 payment to his campaign manager, paid a $75 tab for his election night gathering and paid a $50 "campaign consulting" fee to Milano Investigations in Stuart.

Mezzapelle also repaid himself a $1,236 loan made previously to his campaign, records show.

Glass' final disclosure included a $12.88 loan Glass made to her own campaign, expenditures of $122 for campaign signs, $406 for her election night watch party and showed a $500 campaign contribution refund to Leighton Construction of Stuart.

November's election to fill outgoing Commissioner Michael Mortell's seat was Glass' second city commission run. She took 64 percent of the votes over Mezzapelle, who was making his first bid for city commissioner.